Eternal Flame (Eternal Flame #1)

by Sofia Giselle

  Chapter 17

  The harsh glare of the sun woke her the next morning. Kristen could feel its punishing rays on her face. The second thing she felt was a crushing sense of loneliness. Roman was gone. Kristen could feel his absence before she even opened her eyes. Instinctively, she reached out her hand and felt the space beside her, moving it over the bed. She groggily opened her eyes and blinked to clear her focus. His side of the bed was indeed empty. She looked around the rest of the room and didn’t see him. She looked towards the windows and flinched, covering her eyes. There was light, light, and even more light. So much damn light! He seriously needed to think about putting some curtains in his room.

  Kristen grimaced and pulled one of the pillows over her head, trying in vain to block out the sun. Well, at least it had finally stopped raining. She missed the rain. After last night she knew she’d never look at rain the same way again.

  She blushed and moaned, turning over on her back. She sighed as she looked at the empty space beside her. His side of the bed was indented from the impact of his body and the sheets were tangled and rumpled. She squinted at the digital clock on the night table beside his side of the bed and saw that it was almost noon. She hadn’t realized she’d slept that long. Last time she’d looked at the clock before falling asleep it was almost four am. Her phone was still in the kitchen and she was almost certain Joy had been blowing it up all morning. She could not talk to her without having multiple cups of coffee first. Explaining to Joy how everything had gone down was going to require a full tank of energy.

  Kristen heavily sighed, too lazy to get up. She felt like she’d been run over by a bus. Her body was spent, not to mention sore. It would be a miracle if she could get out of bed and walk.

  She ran her hand through her tousled hair and looked around the room, towards the hallway.

  “Roman?” she called out. “Roman?” She waited a few seconds; then called again. “Roman?”

  There was still no answer. Kristen blinked in confusion and looked towards the bathroom. The French Doors were closed. If he was in there surely he would’ve heard her. Subconsciously, she pulled the bed sheets up to her breasts and looked to her side, where her night table was. And that’s when she saw it. A note.

  Eagerly, she picked it up. It was written in script and was short and to the point.

  I’ll be back

  Ro

  Nothing about when he was coming back or where he’d gone. Nothing about what an incredible night he’d had last night. Just, I’ll be back. O… K… Well, at least he hadn’t left money on it. That was a relief. That would’ve been a brutal slap in the face.

  Kristen twisted her lips as she studied the beige piece of paper, her chest heavy with emotion. She felt like crying but she didn’t. He hadn’t put her out. He didn’t tell her to take her shit and leave. He said he was coming back. That had to mean something.

  But… why hadn’t he waked her? Why hadn’t he kissed her before he left? On top of that, why hadn’t he waked her to make love to her again? Had he had enough of her already?

  Kristen sighed and shook her head at how dramatic she was being. It wasn’t like they’d gotten engaged the night before. It wasn’t like he had professed his undying love for her. They’d just had sex. Plain and simple. Besides, her body was in no shape for round five. She needed a few hours to heel. She was surprised her vagina hadn’t ejected itself from her body and ran screaming out of the apartment.

  She wryly chuckled to herself. Just sex. Like hell. It was the best sex of her damn life. The only sex of her life. But still the best. She felt lucky in the midst of her conflicting emotions. Was it that good for everyone the first time? Would they get to do it again? She hoped so. She’d beg for it if she had to.

  Kristen placed the note back on the table and lay down on the bed, staring wistfully up at the skylight. She thought about calling him to see where he was then thought against it. He probably needed time to think. They both did. Last night had been so unexpected; so spur of the moment. He probably had a lot on his mind. Things had happened between them so fast. There was a lot that needed to be processed and mulled over. They both needed time and space to let everything sink in. God knows there was a lot she needed to think about. In spite of it all she felt utterly beautiful and happy with the direction their relationship had taken. She couldn’t wait to talk to Joy. Joy was probably about to jump out of her skin waiting on her to call. Kristen was excited to see her. She was in a rush to get to her best friend and tell her everything that had happened. Well, almost everything.

  She looked at the spot where Roman had slept all night and moved to his side of the bed, smiling. She smothered her face in his pillow, the scent of him leaving her breathless. She lazily drifted her nose from the pillow, down to the sheets. The reaction of her body to his scent on them was immediate and almost visceral. She put her hand between her legs. She was beyond wet. She squeezed, moved against her hand and moaned. What the fuck was wrong with her? Hadn’t she had enough? One night with the man and she was already a sex addict.

  Her hand stilled between her legs but she didn’t move it. She dragged her nose back up to his pillow and deeply inhaled again, gritting her teeth. What the fuck kind of shampoo did he use? It smelled good as hell. She wanted to find it, put it in her hair, and shower with hit so she could smell him all day.

  Speaking of showering, she badly needed one. She was sticky and her body was so sore. Maybe a piping hot shower would sooth her muscles and wake her up.

  Kristen slowly climbed out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom, twisting her hair up on the way. She stopped as her eyes caught sight of her dress lying one of the leather chairs in the sitting room. She walked over to it and saw that it was pressed. She picked it up and smelled the unmistakable aroma of detergent. He had washed her dress and pressed it? How sweet was that? She looked down at the cushion on the chair and saw her bra was laying on it. She frowned as she wondered where her panties were; then blushed as she remembered he’d torn them off of her. She looked down at the floor and saw her sandals were sitting in front of the chair. Grinning foolishly, she put the dress back on the chair and went to the bathroom.

  She quickly used the toilet; then walked over to her favorite sink. There was a spare toothbrush still in its packaging sitting on the sink, along with a fresh towel and rag. Kristen’s heart fluttered in her chest at his thoughtfulness. He may’ve left her high and dry this morning but she’d been on his mind before leaving. That made her feel very special.

  She stopped smiling and frowned as she stared at the toothbrush. Why the fuck did he have spare toothbrushes lying around anyway? Just how many overnight guests did he have on any given day? Were any of them women? Kristen could feel herself getting an attitude; then quickly checked herself. She reminded herself that he’d told her it had been a while and she couldn’t forget he had a big family and several nieces and nephews. He also had three guest rooms so of course he would have extra toiletries.

  She shook off her uneasiness and looked towards the shower. She’d hoped they’d be able to shower together this morning but that wasn’t going to happen. She still didn’t want to get in there by herself so she opted to shower in one of the guest bathrooms instead. She chose the one they’d made love in. The sheets were still rumpled and a few of the pillows were strewn all over the floor. Her body tingled as she recalled the wild moment they’d shared in it and the way he’d held her when it was all over. She wished she could go back and live those moments over and over again.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, Kristen went into the bathroom and turned the shower on full blast. It had a rainfall showerhead and she was thankful for that. She loved rainfall showerheads. She found strawberry scented body wash on the counter and decided to use it. She remembered she wanted to use the shampoo Roman used and ran back into the master bathroom to look for it. A bottle of body wash and shampoo was sitting on one of the ledges in the shower and she quickly opened them, sniffing l
oudly. Eureka! She found it!

  Giggling, she ran back into the guest bathroom and stepped into the tub, under the shower. She moaned out loud at how wonderful and hot the water felt. She reached out and grabbed the rag she’d bought in that Roman had left for her and began scrubbing her tired, sore body. She ran her hands over her body and closed her eyes, thinking of him. His smile. His sexy eyes. His hands. His dick…

  Kristen shivered as her body vibrated and tingled at the memory of that wonderful instrument. Opening the bottle of his shampoo, she put the top on the soap tray, squeezed a generous amount into her palm, and massaged it into her hair. She sighed as the scent of him filled the room. She licked her lips and lifted her head towards the water, continuing to slowly scrub and ran her fingers through her hair. Her nipples were so hard it was painful and her pussy was twitching like it was craving its next high.

  She thought about how his hands had felt on her breasts, her ass, her stomach, her pussy… She thought about his tongue and his mouth all over her. She fantasized about his amazing dick pumping in and out of her tight, hot pussy. She moaned again as she rinsed herself, the scent of his shampoo driving her mad. She yearned to touch herself but she didn’t. She missed him so much. She couldn’t wait to see him. Talk to him. Hear his voice. Feel him inside of her again.

  Kristen stayed in the shower until her skin became wrinkled then got out and toweled herself off. She found a blow dryer beneath the sink and used it to dry her hair. She went back into the bedroom and quickly got dressed, then went to the kitchen to see if she could find something to eat. She could smell his signature scent all through the apartment. She wished she had thought to find his cologne so she could spray it on her breasts and inner thighs.

  Her eyes drifted to the couch on the way and she smiled again, remembering the passionate moment they’d had there. She blushed when she looked at the wall by the door where it had all started. This apartment held so many erotic memories for her. She couldn’t imagine never coming back and experiencing them again.

  Kristen sauntered into the kitchen to see if she could find any sandwich meat or fresh fruit there for a quick breakfast. She wasn’t really in the mood to eat anything heavy. She prayed Roman had some coffee in there somewhere. She couldn’t remember whether or not she’d seen a coffee maker. She was relieved to find that he did. It was sitting right next to her phone beside the stove. Freshly brewed coffee was filled halfway to the top.

  Kristen touched the coffee pot and mildly smiled. It was still warm. That meant he hadn’t been gone that long. She spotted a brown mug sitting on a mug holder on the island and grabbed it, promptly pouring herself a cup. There was a canister with the word Sugar on it on a ledge above the stove and she took it down and opened it, using the small wooden spoon inside to put four scoops in her mug. She retrieved a carton of Half and Half from the fridge and poured a generous helping into her coffee. She opened a drawer beside the stove and found the silverware. Grabbing a spoon, she simultaneously stirred her coffee while she checked her phone with her free hand.

  Joy had called again, of course. Three times. Her Father had called. There was a text from her Mom begging her to call her Father as soon as she could so he could stop getting on her Mother’s nerves. That made Kristen giggle. Her mother tired easily over her dad’s over protectiveness. Her Dad always said her Mom was just jealous because he loved Kristen more than he did her. It was going to kill him when he found out his little girl had given it up to her favorite pop star and fallen in love.

  Kristen sat her phone on the counter, picked up her coffee, and cautiously sipped, weighing that revelation over in her mind. She was in love with Roman. Course, she had always thought that being his fan but now that she’d met him, gotten to know him, spent time with him, and made love to him, she knew she was. It was an emotion she’d never felt before and it wasn’t just sexual. She’d heard about things like this on television shows and in romance novels and always thought it was bullshit. Her Father insisted he fell in love with her mother at first sight and Kristen always thought that was ridiculous and more than a little over exaggerated. Now she knew there was truth to the myth. It was possible.

  Roman had touched a part of her heart she’d kept guarded for many years, even with Carlos. She worried about his well-being. Felt protective of him. Wanted to see him happy. Wanted him to be successful. Felt the need to pray for him. She wanted to spend all of her time with him. He pissed her off like no one else and got on her last nerve but it was impossible for her to stay mad at him. She never wanted to leave his side. The thought of being without him or never seeing her again made her heart ache in a way that made her feel sick. The thought of him being with another woman put a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. The thought of never being able to see where this thing between them could lead was almost unbearable.

  She had to make a decision about what she was going to do. She was supposed to be leaving the next day. She knew in her soul she couldn’t do it. It was ridiculous considering how little time had past but she needed to stay. They needed more time. It wasn’t like she had a job or school waiting for her back in Charlotte. Her main concern was figuring out where to live. She couldn’t expect Roman to let her live with him. They were lovers, not boyfriend and girlfriend, even though that’s what she wanted. They both had to want it. She knew her parents wouldn’t be happy with it but she was an adult now. She could make her own decisions. Live life the way she saw fit. And she wanted to live it with Roman if he would have her.

  Sighing, Kristen glanced over at the breakfast table and saw a plate sitting on it with a napkin on top. Curious, she walked over to it and lifted the napkin. Beneath it was a homemade omelet. She lifted the top layer and peeked inside at the ingredients. It was all veggies and American Cheese.

  “Awwww,” she sighed.

  Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she slowly wiped them away. This man couldn’t be any more perfect. He had washed and pressed her tube dress, laid her out a fresh toothbrush, rag, and towel, made coffee, and he had made her breakfast? She guessed last night had meant something to him, even if it wasn’t on the same level as her feelings. Her heart swelled with even more love for him. She liked vegetables okay; she was more of a meat eater but it was fine. The omelet was overstuffed and falling apart but she appreciated his effort. It made her happy he had taken the time to do all of that before he left. But where was he?

  She glanced over at her phone and thought about calling him again but shot the idea down. She needed to get to Joy and talk to her fast. She walked over to her phone, opened Google, and contacted the local Uber service. They gave her a fifteen minute window.

  Kristen located a roll of aluminum foil in the pantry, covered her plate, grabbed her mug and purse, and headed for the door. She helplessly looked around, trying to figure out what to do about the door. Roman had an alarm system but of course she didn’t know what the code was. She decided to lock the bottom lock. This was a heavily secured and monitored building so she was sure no one would try to break in. If they tried they wouldn’t be in there long before the cops were called.

  Closing the front door, she twisted the lock, shook it a few times, and pushed her body against the door to make sure it was secure. Satisfied, she walked down the long hallway to the elevator with wicked thoughts of a beautiful man with a golden voice, an enigmatic but conflicted personality, magnetic hands, and an awesome dick bringing a fit of giggles to her lips. And to think she hadn’t been looking forward to coming to Boston.

  To be continued…

 

 

 
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